Jason Wang

Gary Sánchez will be back from the IL sooner than later, so what does that mean for Eric Haase and the backup backstop picture? Image courtesy of © Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports On Jun. 26, Gary Sánchez was placed on the 10-day IL for a left calf strain. To replace him, Eric Haase was called back up, and he's performed admirably in Sánchez's stead, slashing .455/.455/.727 over his 11 plate appearances with the team so far. It has been a great streak, for a player who managed just a .528 OPS in 2023. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and in this case, the good thing is probably Haase’s hot streak. Presumably, he'll come back to Earth a bit, and Sánchez is reportedly very close to returning to the active roster. If Haase is designated for assignment to make room for Sánchez, it’s doubtful that he’d clear waivers, given the way he's played all season both for Triple-A Nashville and with the Crew and the perpetual league-wide need for better catching depth. It was a mild surprise when he made it through at the beginning of the season, and the Crew are unlikely to get so lucky four months later, given the attrition and poor performances that have piled up in the meantime. The Orioles and Guardians are two teams that come to mind, the first trotting out James McCann (.571 OPS) behind Adley Rutschman and the latter having Austin Hedges (.421 OPS) as their secondary catcher. Hedges is practically a coach in uniform, but McCann would be relatively easy to let go for Baltimore, and of course, you never know which other teams might take an interest. In the short term, it wouldn’t make much sense to have three catchers on the roster, especially when one of them is as heavily used as William Contreras. Although he’s slumped big-time since his MVP-tier play at the beginning of the season, Contreras still has an OPS of .806 and is a consistent lineup presence. He plays almost every day. The Brewers have too many other good options (some of them, like Haase, tough to farm out) to let two roster spots be tied up in backing up Contreras. But what happens if Sánchez gets reinjured, or Contreras cracks under the burden of his workload? The options for Milwaukee in Triple-A aren’t great, at least from a hitting standpoint. Francisco Mejía has played the most innings at catcher for the Nashville Sounds, but is slashing just .249/.314/.385 over 239 plate appearances in a very hitter-friendly environment. Nor is he an inspiring defensive option. In an ideal world, the need for a backup catcher could result in highly-ranked Brewers prospect Jeferson Quero getting called up, but in the crueler one, he had season-ending shoulder surgery in April, so that’s not going to happen. Perhaps a trade would be in order. Just last year, the Crew sent catcher Alex Jackson to the Rays in exchange for Evan McKendry, a right-handed starter currently pitching in Triple-A. With Victor Caratini already a serviceable backup option for Contreras, Jackson was a redundancy languishing away in Triple-A as a 27-year old. It was a win-win move, with Tampa Bay receiving a major league-ready player who is now their alternate catcher behind Ben Rortvedt, and Milwaukee receiving more starting pitching depth. Maybe the Brewers could do something similar, but this time in reverse, pursuing a near-ready catcher to use in case of emergency. It wouldn’t make sense to make this a priority at the deadline, nor to give up too much, so picking the right target would be key. One possible name could be Brian Serven, whom the Blue Jays claimed on waivers this spring and has been very good for them in Triple-A (though not so in a brief stint with the parent club). Another could be Mets spare part Joe Hudson. Kevin Plawecki, another 33-year old minor-leaguer, could be an option. He’s got a .778 OPS over 155 plate appearances with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate and San Diego could definitely use more pitching, especially in the bullpen. Their catcher depth is already good, with Luis Campusano and Kyle Higashioka holding down the fort while No. 6-ranked MLB prospect Ethan Salas earns his stripes. Surely they have no need for a someone nearly twice the age of Salas, right? These thoughts are really just in preparation for a worst-case scenario, and there's a good chance that that doesn't come to fruition. If both catchers on the major-league roster eat their Wheaties and stay out of trouble, this should all be a moot point. However, it’s yet another interesting example of how the Brewers’ front office might have to get crafty to address unfortunate roster situations. With moves to acquire and (hopefully) get the best out of struggling starters Dallas Keuchel and Aaron Civale, the backup catcher conjecture would be the latest in a long list of challenges for Milwaukee management. View full article

Milwaukee’s hitting has been pretty darn good this year, but is there talent in the farm system that could make the lineup even better? Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers have an OPS of .733, the ninth-best in MLB, but they still have weaknesses. Despite being in the top five teams for average and on-base percentage, the .400 slugging percentage is 13th in baseball. Even more concerning is the team’s struggle to hit left-handed pitching, posting a combined .683 OPS, worse than 21 other major league teams. Who are some young(-ish) minor leaguers that could add more pop and pizazz to this already gifted group of guys? OF Isaac Collins (Nashville Sounds) - .281/.396/.516 As a fellow short king, Collins has been balling in Triple-A this season. He’s been doing a little bit of everything for the Sounds, hitting for average, hitting for power, and even snagging the occasional bag. With 22 doubles, four triples, and ten home runs, it’s clear that he’s one of the better power hitters in the Brewers system this year. Equally as important is his proficiency against left-handed pitchers. As a switch hitter, he slashes; he’s posted a .962 OPS—.936 from the left side, 292/.362/.500 against them. He hits four-seam fastballs and cutters especially well, with an OPS of 1.000 and 1.387 against those respective pitches. He's alright against breaking balls and off-speed but has struggled the most against sinkers, particularly when it comes to getting hard contact. He's been great at drawing walks off the pitch, walking at an impressive 28.6% clip, but he's slugging just .200 against sinkers so far. The question is, who would he replace? He’s spent most of this season in left field, but it’s doubtful he’ll replace a red-hot Christian Yelich. He’s also taken some reps at center field and second base this year so that he could be slotted into one of those positions. Blake Perkins might be the more likely candidate to platoon out for Collins. The Brewers would end up trading off Perkins's great glove for a little more offense, especially since Perkins is posting just a .632 OPS against lefties. OF Brewer Hicklen (Nashville Sounds) - .284/.394/.568 Another candidate to call up from Triple-A is Hicklen, who profiles similarly to Collins. He’s got 13 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs in his 269 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, which is a great number for the 28-year-old. He’s also a baserunning threat, stealing 25 bases while being caught just three times. He hasn’t seen as much left-handed pitching as Isaac Collins this year, but 62 plate appearances is ample enough of a sample size to conclude that he’s, as a fellow Gen Z-er might say, “pretty dece.” He’s slashing .200/.258/.455, so not hitting the ball a ton but hitting it hard. He hits four-seam fastballs well but makes his bread against breaking pitches. His OPS against sliders, sweepers, and curveballs is a mind-blowing 1.321 over 68 plate appearances. The pitches he struggles with the most are the sinker (.653 OPS) and changeup (.602 OPS). Like Collins, he's got a decent on-base percentage against the sinker, but his ISO of just .073 indicates that he isn't getting a lot of quality contact against the pitch. He's just plain subpar against the changeup, averaging .167 and slugging .292 over 29 plate appearances. Most of his season and career have been spent in the corner outfield, specifically in right field this year. This helps his case since Jackson Chourio, despite his resurgence this past month, has suffered against left-handed pitching, posting just a .534 OPS. By itself, Hicklen’s .713 OPS against lefties doesn’t jump off the page, but it’s a big improvement over what Chourio has been able to offer so far. View full article

The metronomically consistent Brewers technically had their best month of the year in June, going 16-11. Who helped drive the offense the most? Despite having their highest winning percentage of any month in the season so far, the Brewers offense began to sputter in June. The team posted a .677 OPS, down from their .753 OPS in May. The team had far fewer extra-base hits, but with a couple of home runs at the right times, they managed to escape with the win time and time again. Honorable Mentions Jake Bauers 50 PA, .268/.400/.439, 11 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 7 R, 8 RBI, 9 BB, 12 K, 1 SB Bauers has slowly but surely been ceding more of his playing time to Rhys Hoskins and Blake Perkins, but has been effective when trotted out. Often brought on as a pinch-hitter (and sometimes an outfielder and pinch runner), he’s been getting on base when needed and scoring runs. He had a fraction of the plate appearances of his more full-time teammates, but he had the second-highest OPS on the team for the month. Oh, he also hit a grand slam against the Rangers, so there’s that. Brice Turang 117 PA, .280/.342/.421, 30 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 16 R, 16 RBI, 10 BB, 23 K, 9 SB With William Contreras slowing down significantly of late, Brice Turang is now the runaway rWAR leader on the 2024 Brewers. His mark of 3.8 is the result of his stellar defense (carried over from last year), combined with a 117 OPS+. Elly De La Cruz may have “run away” with the stolen base lead, but Turang's 28 bags are still the second-most in MLB. Oh, he also hit a grand slam against the Padres, so there’s that. Oh, he also hit a grand slam against the Cubs, so there’s that too. Christian Yelich 115 PA, .317/.391/.396, 32 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 13 R, 9 RBI, 12 BB, 21 K, 1 HBP, 10 SB Outside of his two MVP-caliber years in 2018 and 2019, Yelich is having the best offensive year of his career. His .885 OPS and 149 OPS+ for the season are incredible marks, but he may be slowing down. Although he hit for a high average, his lack of extra-base hits has limited his cumulative offensive output. Nonetheless, he’s still the best qualified hitter on the team so far. Hitter of the Month - Jackson Chourio 80 PA, .315/.362/.534, 23 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 14 R, 16 RBI, 6 BB, 14 K, 1 SB It’s finally happening. Jackson Chourio, the centerpiece of this team's bright future, is evolving. Like a Charmeleon reaching level 36, he’s developing new moves, abilities, and types. We don’t know if these new adjustments will stick around for the rest of the season, but going from a .542 OPS in May to an .897 OPS in June doesn’t just happen by accident. With more hits, more home runs, more walks, and far fewer strikeouts, it’s incredible to see just how much he has already improved in his three short months in the big leagues. In addition to his two inside-the-park home runs, he also hit a grand slam, so there’s that. Did we pick this right? Who wasn't mentioned here but deserves more love for their June performances? Let us know below. View full article

Brewers' prospects continued to dazzle at all levels this past month, with a young infielder leading the way. Image courtesy of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Honorable Mentions C Darrien Miller (Biloxi Shuckers) 79 PA, .283/.456/.400, 17 H, 4 2 B, 1 HR, 10 R, 9 RBI, 10 BB, 12 K, 9 HBP, 1 SB Darrien Miller was a ninth-round draft pick selected in 2019 from Clovis (CA) High School. Now at 23 years old, he’s in his first year at Double-A and has been holding his own, hitting a .748 OPS over 220 plate appearances. He hasn’t yet found the power in his swing this year, but he managed to hit his first home run in the last few days of June. Despite lacking juice in his bat, his on-base percentage this month was impressive, receiving a huge bump from getting hit by nine pitches. But hey, getting on base is getting on base, right? Surely, this is replicable in the higher levels of baseball. SS Cooper Pratt (Carolina Mudcats) 93 PA, .376/.419/.459, 32 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 14 R, 11 RBI, 6 BB, 14 K, 1 HBP, 6 SB Since being drafted in the sixth round of 2023 out of Magnolia Heights (MS) High School, Pratt has been great, posting an OPS >.800 in both 2023 and 2024, at least so far. After a strong May, he had an even better June, highlighted by an impressive .376 batting average. To cap things off, he jumped into the MLB Top 100 Prospects list to snag the #96 spot, making him the fourth Milwaukee prospect to be ranked that high. 2B/OF Isaac Collins (Nashville Sounds) 96 PA, .296/.396/.543, 24 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 R, 19 RBI, 10 BB, 20 K, 4 HBP, 9 SB One of the older prospects on the list, Isaac Collins, was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round out of Creighton University. After a lukewarm 2022 in Double-A, he came to the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft and spent most of his 2023 with the Biloxi Shuckers, posting an .855 OPS over 376 plate appearances. He’s been even better this year in Triple-A, hitting to a .912 OPS after 303 plate appearances. His June wasn’t quite as hot as his scoring in April, but it was a big improvement over the regression he saw in May. Minor League Hitter of the Month: 2B/SS Jadher Areinamo 108 PA, .358/.435/.516, 34 H, 6 2B, 3 HR, 17 R, 14 RBI, 12 BB, 10 K, 1 HBP, 6 SB Signed out of Maracay, Venezuela, as a foreign free agent in 2021, Areinamo swung a great bat in June, taking a big step forward from the uninspiring months of April and May. Nine extra-base hits boosted his slugging, and walking more than he struck out had a similar impact on his on-base percentage. He’s a scrappy player, and despite being graded as having slightly below-average speed, his smart baserunning has allowed him to remain a threat, as he has already accumulated 25 stolen bases this season. Congratulations to each of these players mentioned today for a great month of June. Do you agree with the choice of Jadher Arienamo as the winner this month? View full article

I wonder what the original reason was for moving him around on the mound. Also ridiculous to think how big of an impact such a small change can have. That's baseball for you, I guess. Love Milwaukee's ability to get the best out of their pitching staff, can't wait to see what they do with Civale.

What is Jackson Chourio doing differently in his best offensive month so far in the major leagues? Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Jackson Chourio still has quite a few kinks to iron out in his approach. At just twenty years old, the general expectation was that his development was incomplete but would benefit from major league reps. So far, that belief has proven to be pretty spot on. His .231/.277/.358 slash line for this year isn’t anything to write home about, and he’s the worst-qualified hitter on the team by OPS+ (77, where 100 is average). But something has started to “brew,” one might say, as his offensive output in June took a big step forward. After a .608 OPS in April/March and a .542 OPS in May, he’s been able to put together a .840 OPS in June over 69 plate appearances. His slash line for the month of .302/.348/.492 is a massive improvement, but how did he get there? His biggest challenge since getting called up has been hitting big-league fastballs. He’s averaging just .196 against four-seamers with a 32.3% strikeout rate, poor numbers against the most popular pitch in baseball. In June, however, his average has shot up to a whopping .353 with a lower 20.0% strikeout rate and a 15.0% walk rate. What seems to be a major reason behind this change in performance is his higher swing rate at pitches in the zone. Here is his swing rate at four-seam fastballs from the start of the season to May 31. As you can see, he swings at most high strikes, but he loses a lot of opportunities in the middle and lower thirds of the strike zone. This matches up with his batting average heat map against those same pitches. If we adjust the date range for these same two graphics to contain data only for June, we see that Chourio has turned up the aggression, taking more advantage of those juicy chances in the middle of the zone. He’s still having some issues with low fastballs, but overall, swinging more to put the ball in play has benefited him against heaters. In addition to swinging and making more contact, he’s making better quality contact. In the first two months of the season, Chourio had a line drive rate of just 17.4%; in June, it shot up to 46.2%. This makes sense, given that he hasn’t been hitting for much power but has been placing it where he needs to to get on base and move runners along. In addition to his improved hitting against the four-seam fastball, Chourio’s greatest prospect tool, his speed, has come in handy more than a handful of times. Not only has it aided his defense, but it’s also paid dividends at the plate. Against the Angels on June 18th, he hit a ball down the right-field line for what should’ve been, at most, a standard double. However, as if somehow suffering from a controller disconnection, Jo Adell kicked the ball deeper into the right field corner, allowing Chourio to stretch a batted ball with an 82.4 mph exit velocity and -5 degree launch angle into an apparent home run (ruled a double/error by the official scorer). This created three runs for the Brewers. Against the Rangers on June 26, he turned a soft blooper into an inside-the-park home run after the ball got past the glove of center-fielder Derek Hill. Now, if I had a nickel for every time Jackson Chourio hit a little league home run this month, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but weirdly, it happened twice. Could these two events have inflated his OPS numbers for the month? Maybe, but 1) it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still hitting for a higher average in general, and 2) utilizing his speed to stretch singles into doubles and outfield errors into home runs is a totally fair way to play baseball. Speedsters like Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Witt Jr. are known to use their speed to their advantage when running the bases, even when they aren’t stealing, so why can’t Chourio? As a guy with 96th percentile sprint speed, it’s a great tool to supplement a potential lack of power, at least for now. If he can continue this trend of adapting to major-league pitching and making necessary adjustments to get ahead of the curve (see what I did there), the sky’s the limit for the young outfield phenom. His defense and baserunning are already way above average; now it’s time to see what he can do with that big ol’ bat of his. View full article

The Brewers have a firm grip on the National League Central, but injuries keep thinning their pitching staff. What talent already in the Milwaukee farm system can the team use to maximize their chances of postseason success? Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports There are two main ways for a team to make roster improvements in the second half. One way is to be buyers at the trade deadline and give up a part of the future to try and win now. In a very minimalist way, the Crew did that on Tuesday, when they traded for veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel. The other way is our focus today: they can call up a young name and hope for fireworks. The Brewers have an excellent collection of prospects, which bodes well for either option, but assuming they aren’t able to cook up a deal bigger than Keuchel's arrival in the short term, who could they promote from within? RHP Chad Patrick Chandler “Chad” Patrick was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, out of Purdue University. He’s been climbing the minor-league ranks at a consistent pace ever since, spending all of 2024 with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds as a starting pitcher. This year, he's thrown 71 ⅔ innings, with a nifty 2.76 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has a five-pitch arsenal, consisting of a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, slider, and changeup. His primary weapon has been the cutter, throwing it 46.6% of the time with a strikeout rate of 32.7% and a .172 batting average against it this year. The pitch sits in the upper 80s, so it’s not flying by batters with the steam of Corbin Burnes's cut piece, but he’s still got gas--in the form of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that has been known to touch 96 when he’s had his Wheaties in the morning. As his only true breaking pitch, his slider has yet to concede an earned run, striking out opposing hitters 30% of the time and generating a measly .311 OPS. One of his main weaknesses comes as a downside of his aggressive approach, especially on his four-seamer. Although batters are averaging just .158 against the pitch, they’re hitting home runs at a 4.6% clip. Furthermore, he’s walking batters at a 11.5% rate, overall. Patrick could be a good option to bolster the already ravaged major-league rotation. The team already called up Carlos Rodriguez, with pretty disappointing results, but there are reasons to believe Patrick is more prepared for major-league hitters. He’s been quite successful in Triple-A recently, and is averaging just under six innings per outing, so he’s got the longevity part of things down. He may not have the same pedigree as some other options, but the numbers and film don’t lie. RHP Jacob Misiorowski I have a feeling that if I didn’t list Misiorowski as a potential option, I would have received quite a few messages from fist-shaking Brewers fans. The 22-year-old phenom has been the talk of the town, and as the #1 prospect in Milwaukee’s system and the #21 prospect in baseball, he deserves it. Misiorowski has spent his 2024 season with the Biloxi Shuckers in Double-A, and has accumulated a 3.44 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 52 ⅓ innings in 13 starts. There’s definitely some work to be done, especially when it comes to limiting traffic on the basepaths, but let’s not get it twisted: he’s a top prospect for a reason. He’s still a strikeout king, punching out opposing batters at a 29.0% clip. His 70-grade fastball only seems to be getting better, with his velocity starting to touch the triple digits. The raw stuff for which he’s known is still great and is a big reason for his success. The biggest problem continues to be command. His walk rate is a brutal 14.3%, a major driver behind his somewhat high WHIP. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is the lowest that it has been in any of his minor-league seasons. That being said, his walk rate for the month of June is just 6.3% compared to the 18.8% we saw in May. The price he's paid has been more hard contact against him. Despite the big improvement in walk rate, his ERA for the month swelled from 1.71 in May to 4.34 in June. So what does Misiorowski bring to the table? His raw talent and his ceiling make him a wild card. There once was a young man by the name of Corbin Burnes who began 2018 in Triple-A with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. After 78 ⅔ innings, he had a 5.15 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. What did the Brewers do after seeing these sus numbers? They promoted him to the major-league bullpen that same year, and he was great. The rest is history. Could Misiorowski follow a similar path? Assuming he gets brought up to the bullpen, rather than the rotation, he could very well end up in a long relief role, a position last held by Bryse Wilson. With the added reliever workload likely to start rearing its ugly head more and more as the season drags on, his stamina could be an invaluable asset to the team. Furthermore, additional major-league experience could jumpstart his increasingly bright future. Internal reinforcement has made possible all of the Brewers' recent success, including five playoff appearances in six seasons. The team will need more of that this year, to patch the many holes that keep appearing in one of the league's most effective run-prevention units. It'll be interesting to see who gets the next call, and for which role. View full article

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It’s seeming pretty clear that Milwaukee will buy at the deadline. If they aren't able to snag more starting pitching, could they compensate with some shiny bullpen arms? Upon reading the title, a discerning fan or typically judicious Facebook reader might remark, “Hey, isn’t our bullpen already pretty darn good? In fact, aren’t they fourth in MLB by team ERA with a mark of 3.20? Shouldn’t we go out and get starters instead?” While the number is undeniably correct, at least at the time of this article, the Brewers bullpen situation is a little more nuanced than usual. The first thing to do is to acknowledge how grim the starting pitching injury situation is. With Robert Gasser placed on the 15-day IL, the team was forced to call up Carlos F Rodriguez despite not having things figured out in Triple-A yet. When starters like DL Hall and Joe Ross eventually return to the rotation, it will take time to ramp up their stamina and re-acclimate to major-league hitting, so they might not be effective right out of the gate. This feeds into the second point, which is the bullpen workload. Brewers relievers have pitched 298 ⅓ innings, the most in baseball. They’ve faced 1,230 batters (third in baseball) but have been reasonably efficient, throwing just 4,641 pitches (seventh in baseball). While the starters continue to ramp back up to 100%, the relievers will probably still carry a significant portion of responsibility. Third, having a good bullpen is fun, but isn’t having a great bullpen even more fun? Of course, it is. Milwaukee needs every advantage it can get, especially with the team’s past four postseason runs ending in the first round. Should starting pitching be the #1 concern for the team when it comes to trade talks this summer? 100%, but what happens if they can’t get the starting pitching help they need? What if the White Sox aren't willing to give up Garrett Crochet for anything less than part-ownership of Bernie Brewer's slide? Surely it’d be better to do something than nothing, especially if it won’t break the bank (er, farm?). So now that we’ve established that there's at least some merit to entertaining this side of trade talks, which relievers are both worth pursuing and on teams that are likely to sell them off? Declan Cronin, RHP, Miami Marlins Much of the trade talks with the Marlins have surrounded lefty closer Tanner Scott. He’s caused quite a bit of ruckus, and it seems like there are more than several suitors clamoring for his services. Because of the strong demand, it would make sense for it to be a seller’s market, and the Marlins will likely set a price that will be reasonable for teams desperate for bullpen help but a bit too steep for the Brewers. For this reason, I’ve turned my attention to his younger, less bald teammate, Declan Cronin. Declan Cronin had a terrible debut year with the White Sox but has maintained his rookie status for this year, and so far, his 2024 has been much better than his 2023. He’s pitching to a 2.65 ERA over 34 innings and has been the king of soft contact. He only does two things well: limit barrel rates and induce ground balls. His barrel rate of 3.2% and ground-ball rate of 60.6% are better than 95% of qualified pitchers this season. Interestingly enough, opposing batters are hitting the ball pretty dang hard, averaging an exit velocity of 90.8 mph, but their launch angle is less than optimal 0.7 degrees. So, how does he prevent hitters from getting under the ball? It's a deadly slider/sinker combination. His slider is his primary weapon, and he has been great at attacking batters' knees, but in the right spot. It’s not gross enough to generate incomprehensible whiff/strikeout rates, and I would hardly call it “wipeout,” but that’s sort of its beauty. It’s just tempting enough to get a swing, albeit one that spikes a ball straight into the dirt. The slider has a strikeout rate of 27.8%, but opposing batters are only managing to slug .253 against it. His sinker has a similar M.O., choosing to move arm-side instead of downward. Against lefties, he’ll aim for the tip of the barrel. Against righties, he’ll aim for the hands. With the defense the Brewers have played this year, he might make a perfect fit. One snag that might come up is how much team control he has left on his contract, not even hitting arbitration until 2027. On the other hand, the Marlins have plenty of pitching talent, with their top three prospects all pitchers. They’ll need to rebuild the whole team, and their hitting needs far exceed their need for a righty reliever, so it wouldn’t be out of the question that Cronin would be traded for a reasonable price despite his rookie status. Jason Foley, RHP, Detroit Tigers While Detroit's offense continues to be remarkably bad, their pitching staff has been excellent. Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty have been great for their rotation and aside from a few names, their bullpen isn't actually half bad. Leading the effort is their loyal closer, Jason Foley (great first name by the way), who is currently pitching to a 2.81 ERA over 25 ⅔ innings with 12 saves. This gives him an ERA+ of 149, the second-highest on the team behind the aforementioned Tarik Skubal. He profiles somewhat similarly to Declan Cronin, depending on low launch angles to achieve his 53.8% ground ball rate. He's even got a similar arsenal, relying on his sinker 60.3% of the time and his slider 29.6% of the time. Interestingly enough, his sinker is actually somewhat ineffective, with batters averaging .317 against it. His slider, on the other hand, has been nigh untouchable, boasting a opposing batting average of just .083 across 26 plate appearances. In addition to excelling at generating ground balls, it's been known to fan batters 26.9% of the time. Despite the strong ERA, there are two major concerns with his candidacy as a trade target. First, his sinker is truly uncompetitive in its current state. On the bright side, of the 20 hits that have been recorded against it, 17 of them were singles. Furthermore, it's responsible for the majority of his infield groundouts. With some help, it wouldn't be out of the question for him to turn things around in the second half of the season. Also, the pitch does still have its moments, although they're somewhat rare. Second, he's got a few years of team control left on his contract, reaching free agency in 2028. While he's a great asset to have around, the Tigers are likely more concerned about their offensive future. Their combined team ERA of 3.82 is tenth in MLB while their team OPS of .671 is 24th in MLB. Additionally, six of their top ten prospects are RHP, five of which are in Triple-A or above. Foley is great, but he might be even greater for the Tigers as a trade asset to build an actually competitive lineup. Bryan Abreu RHP, Houston Astros This might be a hot take, but like onions and ogres, there are layers to it. Despite all their merits, Milwaukee’s bullpen struggles with getting strikeouts. Their SO/9 rate of 8.27 is 24th in MLB, so it wouldn’t hurt to get some more punch-out power on the team. Bryan Abreu has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past three years, averaging a 2.04 ERA over 167 ⅔ innings pitched. This year is his worst in a while, pitching to a below-career average 2.80 ERA over 35 ⅓ innings. Still, his ability to beat opposing batters is still on par with some of the best. His whiff rate of 32.1% and strikeout rate of 32.9% are both in the top decile. There’s honestly much to explain with his pitching style. He throws an 85.9 mph slider and a 96.5 mph four-seam fastball. To be fair, both pitches are quite squalid when they’re at their best, especially his slider, against which batters are averaging just .194 and slugging just .258 while whiffing 40.2% of the time. Sometimes, he gets a little jazzed up and gasses his fastball up to 99 mph. So, if his pitching isn’t complex, what’s the second layer? Well to start, it’s not super clear as to how the Astros will approach the deadline. They’re nine games behind the division-leading Mariners in the AL West and seven games back from a Wild Card spot. Furthermore, their farm system is one of the weakest in baseball after trading some of their best names to the Mets to get Kate Upton’s husband last year, so they need to rebuild. Will they try to go for an eighth consecutive ALCS appearance? Maybe, but if they decide to look past the present and towards the future, the Brewers could use someone with the talents of Bryan Abreu. He'll be a free agent in 2027, so the few years of team control might make it tricky, but with Tayler Scott and Seth Martinez pitching even better out of the Astros bullpen this year, it's not like the team would be without replacements. View full article

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Look, the Angels are bad. With no help on the horizon, they could turn to the Brewers to bolster their farm system, and the Brewers could try to round out an October-ready roster. Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports There are few teams in baseball looking as dismal as the Angels. In a final, desperate bid to increase their chances of extending Shohei Ohtani, they bet it all on their 2023 season, selling off their entire farm system to acquire bits and pieces of major-league talent at the trade deadline. This resulted in a tragic 28-43 second-half record and a wide miss on a playoff berth. In 2024, the situation is somehow worse. Shohei Ohtani has been raking for the team’s cross-town rival, Mike Trout is on the injured list after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and they are already 11.5 games back in the division and 9.5 games from a Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives them just a 0.6% chance to make the playoffs, and that feels a little high. To make matters even worse, since they traded their top prospects last year, their farm system is arguably the worst in baseball. With Nolan Schanuel’s graduation, they have no prospects in the top 100. Long story short: they’re cooked, at the very least for the next few years. However, this means they’ll more than likely be sellers at the trade deadline, so what can the Brewers get from them--and what might they have to surrender in return? Tyler Anderson Currently leading the team in rWAR with an impressive 3.3, Anderson is having a great bounce-back season after an abysmal 2023. His current ERA of 2.63 and WHIP of 1.15 are significantly better than the 5.43 and 1.49 numbers he posted last year. An intriguing lefty, he’s a crafty contact pitcher who somehow manages to get by with a fastball averaging 89.2 mph. His changeup is arguably his best pitch, boasting a strikeout rate of 23.5% and a whiff rate of 36.8%. His cutter is a close second, though, and despite it averaging an unimpressive 83.8 mph, batters are averaging just .176 against it. Anderson could be a great Band-Aid solution for the team’s current starting pitcher injury pandemic. With Wade Miley out for the season, Robert Gasser trending the same way, and DL Hall still without a clear timetable to return, the Brewers could use a lefty starter, especially one with the experience of Anderson. Furthermore, his pitch-to-contact style synergizes well with Milwaukee’s specialty: defense. For Anderson, specifically, his 32.0% fly-ball rate is 8.1% higher than the MLB average, which should go well with the Brewers outfield. They lead MLB in OAA (24) by outfielders. One consideration to keep in mind is his contract. Anderson signed for $39 million over three years prior to 2023, so he'll be on an eight-figure salary for 2025. It’s a hefty salary to pay (for Milwaukee, at least), and that could make clearing the acquisition with ownership tricky. He’s having a great season this year, and could help with a deep postseason run, but what about next year? With Brandon Woodruff returning and prospects like Gasser and Jacob Misiorowski potentially becoming big-league mainstays, will Anderson be needed beyond 2024? It's hard to say. José Soriano Another starter option, he's got a 3.64 ERA and a WHIP of 1.21 over 64 ⅓ innings. He profiles similarly to Tyler Anderson in some ways, and immensely differently in others. Like Anderson, he has a below-average strikeout rate and relies on soft contact. However, instead of fly balls, his ground-ball rate of 60.3% is in the 96th percentile of qualified pitchers. Also unlike Anderson, Soriano has excellent fastball velocity, averaging 97.7 mph on his sinker and 98.9 mph on his four-seam fastball. His sinker has been especially good at limiting hard contact, with opposing batters slugging just .277 against the pitch. Soriano would be a longer-term option for the Brewers, as he’s got a total of just 106 ⅓ major league innings under his belt. He could become arbitration-eligible after this season or after next, depending on where the cutoff for Super Two status lands, and will be a free agent after 2028. Milwaukee would have multiple years of team control with him, but that may also make the Angels more hesitant to part with him. They may be expecting him to hold down the rotation for the remainder of the decade, and without a ton of other young options, he might be off-limits. Luis Rengifo Offensively, it’s hard to see how a team with the sixth-best OPS in MLB (.738) can get better, especially with how well-rounded Milwaukee is. While that may be the case now, this could be an opportunity to look at the medium-term future. Most fans doubt that Willy Adames will choose to stay once he hits free agency. As a result, the team will need to replace him. Luckily, rookie shortstop Joey Ortiz has made an excellent case to take over. He’s been primarily playing third base this year, but that’s a roster construction thing, not personal player preference. In the minors, Ortiz had nearly 2,100 innings at shortstop, 1,700 more than at any other position. Assuming Ortiz moves to shortstop and Brice Turang holds down second, then, Rengifo could be a great hot-corner option. His hitting has gradually improved over his past three seasons, and he’s currently slashing .316/.367/.448 with nine doubles and four home runs. He’s great at avoiding strikeouts (14.3%) and has been crushing four-seam fastballs this year, averaging .429 against them. Sure, he’s a fringy defender and doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard, but no one’s perfect, and the Brewers thrive on small ball, anyway. Rengifo is currently on a one-year, $4.4 million contract, with free agency approaching after next season, so he may be another short- or medium-term rental for the team, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be too expensive. What can Milwaukee offer? The Crew has one of the best farm systems in baseball, boasting three top-100 prospects: No. 22 Jacob Misiorowski, No. 24 Jeferson Quero, and No. 34 Tyler Black. Because the Angels are so far from any serious contention, it may take them a few years to rebuild, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had their eyes on younger prospects over those that are just a year or two out. Obviously, the return package would depend on whom the front office ends up pursuing, but a few of the team’s great outfield prospects in the lower levels of the minors would make sense. Luis Lara (No. 7-ranked Brewers prospect, 2026 ETA), Yophery Rodriguez (No. 9, 2027 ETA), or even Pedro Ibarguen (No. 27, 2028 ETA) could be enticing pieces that wouldn’t be too damaging to Milwaukee, since they have a plethora of outfield talent in the big leagues who will be around for several more years. If the Angels want help in the shorter term, there’s a bit of corner infield saturation, with names like Mike Boeve and Luke Adams covering the same bases, and they’re both estimated to debut in 2026, which could be a reasonable timeline to build a more competitive team around them. At this point, watching Angels baseball is like watching the last season of The Office. It’s pretty disappointing overall but there are still a few names that may catch your interest--and potentially Matt Arnold’s. View full article

How will Milwaukee’s starting pitching picture manage the potential loss of yet another promising arm to the injury bug? Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports It has been a difficult season for Brewers starters, to say the very least. Their combined ERA of 4.11 is 17th in MLB, but more importantly, the team currently has five names from the rotation on the injured list: DL Hall (15-day, knee), Jakob Junis (60-day, shoulder), Joe Ross (15-day, back), Brandon Woodruff (60-day, shoulder), and Wade Miley (60-day, elbow). Now, they may soon have a sixth. Since making his major-league debut on May 10, Robert Gasser has a 2.57 ERA over 28 innings pitched. Great stuff from the lefty rookie so far, but it seems his campaign may suffer a substantial disruption. On Jun. 3, manager Pat Murphy stated that Gasser was dealing with some tightness and soreness in his elbow, and would be taking a closer look to make sure there wasn’t any serious damage. The next day, Murphy said that Gasser may miss time but that the first MRI looked encouraging. The team will continue examining his elbow, but given the nature of this issue and the risk of sending him back out there with any lingering doubt, it seems likely Gasser will spend at least some time on the injured list. What should we make of this? Does this mean the rotation is doomed, with three skull emojis? One major impact of these constant injuries is the disproportionate amount of responsibility being placed on the bullpen. The Brewers rank dead last in the number of innings pitched by starters, at 285, 14 fewer than the 29th-ranked Giants. They've gotten a good look at life on the other end of the street this week, as the Phillies currently lead MLB with 368 ⅓ innings pitched by starters. Consequently, Milwaukee relievers have pitched 256 ⅓ innings, nearly the same as the rotation. In 2023, starters pitched a whopping 877 ⅓ innings for the Crew, while the bullpen handled just 565 ⅔. With just over 100 games to go, relievers have already accumulated nearly half the total workload as last year. One could argue that this may be good, since facing a parade of high-powered, diverse relievers can be tricky for opposing batters, but a lack of healthy, rested late-inning arms can also be disastrous. Furthermore, while the team might be able to skirt by for the remainder of the regular season on the strength of their stellar offense and relatively weak division opponents, a rotation in poor health is a recipe for playoff disaster. Freddy Peralta and Colin Rea have pitched well thus far, but regression may be coming soon--especially for Rea, whose FIP is an entire run higher than his current ERA. Even if they don't regress, are those two enough to lead the team through a playoff series in a very competitive National League? Not all is lost, of course. Before you fall to your knees and begin to weep uncontrollably while donning the vintage Don Money jersey your strange uncle passed down to you before he switched to being a cricket fan, there are a few bright spots on the horizon. First, Joe Ross is set to return around mid-June. He’ll soon begin his rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds in Triple-A, and is slated to throw a bullpen this weekend. He hasn’t been great, but he also only made nine starts before taking time off, so maybe he comes back healthier and more effective. It has also been three years since his last major-league season, so it should be expected that he’ll take time to reach his final form. Second, although DL Hall injured his knee recently during his own minor-league rehab assignment, there's some tentatively encouraging news there, too. He’s getting his knee examined more closely by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, an orthopedic surgeon well-known for his work with athletes, and ElAttrache has said that based on preliminary scans, his MCL is intact. Before tweaking his knee again, things seemed good while pitching in Triple-A. Third, Jakob Junis has also begun his own rehab assignment, pitching two innings with three strikeouts and allowing no baserunners. He’ll need some time and might be used in a multi-inning relief role, rather than as a starter, but his recovery is progressing pretty smoothly, all things considered. Even if Gasser does end up missing time, it might not be very long. It seems more like a precautionary measure, and taking early action can help prevent future issues. We’ve yet to find out exactly what the extent of his elbow problems are, but for now, remember that not all hope is yet lost. Milwaukee has hobbled their way to a 36-25 record, six games ahead of the Cubs, and are given a 65.9% chance to win the division by FanGraphs. Despite these challenging times, the team has found a way to win, and who’s to say it won’t stay that way? View full article

It was an exciting month for the Milwaukee farmhands, with players at all levels of the minor leagues showing up and showing out. Honorable Mentions Ramón Rodríguez (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) 71 PA, .263/.366/.456, 15 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 6 R, 11 RBI, 9 BB, 6 K, 2 HBP, 1 SB Rodríguez is a catching prospect that became a minor league free agent after six full seasons. His last season in the crowded Orioles system was lackluster, spending most of his time in Double-A with a .666 OPS. He signed a deal with the Brewers late last December and was initially assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers before being moved down. He’s a little old to be in High-A at 25 years old and even then, he struggled immensely in his first month with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. After posting a .495 OPS in April, he managed to turn things around in a big way and was one of the best hitters on the team. His future with the Brewers is uncertain given several factors including his current level of play and the fact that Milwaukee is already rich in catching talent. Whether he’ll even be able to continue the momentum he started in May still remains to be seen. Filippo Di Turi (ACL Brewers) 93 PA, .343/.505/.514, 24 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB, 21 BB, 15 K Filippo Di Turi is an 18-year old shortstop out of Venezuela that signed a minor league contract with the Brewers in January 2023 and started off his career in the DSL. Since starting the year in rookie ball, he’s put his dominant on-base skills on full display, boasting a .500 on-base percentage so far this season. He’ll need to keep it up if he wants to make the majors one day as his power received a mere 30-grade from scouts. Despite his shortcomings, he's still the #29 ranked prospect for the Brewers. Regarding his approach, MLB.com writes: Carlos Rodriguez (Biloxi Shuckers) 78 PA, .391/.462/.464, 27 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 8 R, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 5 K, 1 SB Not to be confused with the #6 ranked pitching prospect (that’s Carlos F. Rodriguez), Carlos D. Rodriguez is an outfield prospect from Venezuela who signed his first contract with the Brewers back in 2017. In his first year in Double-A, he’s at a .744 OPS but saw a big jump in performance from April to May. After spending some time on the injured list, he came back healthier and better than ever, jumping from a .595 OPS in April to a .925 OPS in May. He’s been excellent at hitting for average but lacks threatening power, with just four of his 27 hits in May being for extra bases with no home runs. In fact, he’s still yet to hit his first home run of the season. He’s only 23 years old so he has time to continue growing and developing but with a total of just ten home runs in his 1,581 career plate appearances, he probably won’t ever be a long ball threat. Best Minor League Hitter of the Month: Brewer Hicklen (Nashville Sounds) 90 PA, .230/.344/.622,17 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 16 R, 24 RBI, 11 BB, 23 K, 3 HBP, 6 SB What can we really expect from a guy named Brewer who plays in the Brewers system? Unlike the other names on this list, Hicklen was more dependent on his power than his on-base ability to get the job done. His 46 total bases was the most out of any Brewers minor league player in May, largely driven by his eight home runs. Hicklen is an interesting player. At 28 years old, he’s already on the older end of players in Triple-A. He already made his major league debut with the Royals in 2022, accumulating a whopping four plate appearances before spending all of 2023 in Triple-A and signing a free agent contract with Milwaukee. I’m not exactly sure what conditions are necessary for him to be called up to the Brewers but given the sheer amount of competition in the outfield, it may be an uphill battle to make it back to the show. Nonetheless, he’s been a remarkable bat for the Nashville Sounds so far this year, posting a cumulative .983 OPS with 11 doubles and 11 home runs over 201 plate appearances. View full article

For the most part, Milwaukee’s relievers are just as effective this year as they were last year. But what sort of roster moves, if any, are needed for them to be even better? Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports Thus far, 2024 has been a good year for pitchers, with the league-average ERA decreasing from 4.33 in 2023 to 3.94. Thus, although Brewers relievers have combined for a 3.47 ERA (just .007 higher than last year), they’ve dropped from second to sixth in MLB. Part of this is due to the Guardians and Yankees having (likely) unsustainable ERAs under 3.00, but other factors exist. Devin Williams hasn’t had a chance to pitch all year, Bryse Wilson has been thrust into the starter role, and constant injuries have caused some players to miss time or have diminished performances. Let’s start by taking a high-level overview of each bullpen arm and how they’ve pitched thus far. IP ERA FIP WHIP K/9 Bryan Hudson* 32.0 1.13 2.89 0.75 10.4 Hoby Milner* 29.0 3.10 3.25 1.07 9.3 Elvis Peguero 25.2 2.81 2.87 1.52 8.1 Jared Koenig* 25.1 2.13 3.66 1.11 7.1 Joel Payamps 21.0 3.86 3.48 1.00 7.3 Trevor Megill 15.0 2.40 1.81 1.07 12.6 Kevin Herget 7.2 2.35 4.45 0.91 7.0 Enoli Paredes 7.0 0.00 1.57 0.14 9.0 Janson Junk 5.0 9.00 5.14 2.80 5.4 Based on this information, a few things become apparent. First of all, Milwaukee has some great lefty pitchers. Second, Trevor Megill has done an admirable job filling in the closer role in Williams’ absence. Third, there’s definitely room for improvement, especially when it comes to getting strikeouts and limiting traffic on the basepaths. Current Roster Bryan Hudson was a low-key offseason acquisition from the Dodgers that has panned out excellently. After being designated for assignment, he was shipped over from Los Angeles in exchange for LHP prospect Justin Chambers. Since the start of the season, he’s accumulated 1.6 rWAR, the most of any pitcher and the fifth-most on the team. His sweeper has been notably effective, with an opposing batting average of just .056, a whiff rate of 41.5%, and a strikeout rate of 46.3%. Jared Koenig is another unexpected star who signed with the Brewers after a frustrating Triple-A season in the Padres system. His 2.13 ERA might be unsustainable as his FIP and WHIP are disproportionately high, and he has a relatively low strikeout rate (19.0%). His cutter is especially concerning, as it has an opposing slugging percentage of .476 and is his second most-used pitch. Hoby Miler and Elvis Peguero have been holding down the fort and have remained pretty consistent compared to last year. Milner doesn’t have the same 1.82 ERA he did in 2023, but his strikeout rate is up slightly, and last year’s FIP of 3.13 may have indicated that a sub-2.00 ERA for Milner was the exception, not the rule. Kevin Herget, Enoli Paredes, and Janson Junk have sample sizes that are too small to draw any major conclusions. Paredes’ seven scoreless innings are undoubtedly impressive, and Herget has already had three multi-innings appearances but with a total of just 19 ⅔ innings pitched between these three (and Junk has barely pitched since the start of May and was just recalled at the start of June). Joel Payamps is a more complex case. Last year, he posted a 2.55 ERA in 70 ⅔ innings with ten games finished and three saves. This year, he’s added more than an entire run to his ERA but has the same H/9 (7.3), a lower HR/9 (0.9), and fewer BB/9 (1.7) than he did in 2023. So what gives? If I had to blame one thing, it would be his slider. He went from a .279 opposing slugging percentage to .406 while also seeing his strikeout rate on the pitch decrease by 12.7%. His sinker went from having the highest wOBA (.396) to the second-lowest wOBA (.258) behind his four-seam fastball. Trevor Megill is intriguing in the other direction. After a career start marred by inconsistency with the Cubs and Twins, he has finally found his groove in the great state of Wisconsin. After posting a career-best 3.63 ERA in 2023, he’s improved even more and has even picked up his first career saves, eight in total so far. His scorching fastball is striking batters out at its highest rate ever (29.8%). He’s also got a gross knuckle curve with a 60.6% whiff rate and a 53.8% strikeout rate. The Brewers Could Use More Strikeouts Despite having the sixth-best team reliever ERA, the reliever K/9 figure of 8.43 is 19th in MLB. The bullpen has relied on soft contact over the past few years and has just two players, Trevor Megill, and Bryan Hudson, with more than 10.0 K/9. It also makes sense that they are two of the best performers on the team. Sure, it can be argued that outs from balls in play are outs just the same. A good example is Wade Miley, who posted a 3.14 ERA in 2023 with just 5.9 K/9. However, success for low-strikeout pitchers takes a lot of work to sustain, especially for relievers. Locking down the opposing lineup in late innings would be a huge boost to any bullpen’s productivity. The question then becomes, would they be willing to sacrifice one of their current arms for an arm with a feast-or-famine playstyle? Take Cubs starter Ben Brown as an example. He has an excellent strikeout rate (29.6%) that sits in the 86th percentile of qualified pitchers but an average exit velocity (92.6 mph) in the first percentile. It has brought him a respectable 3.33 ERA so far through his first seven starts, so maybe it’s not the end of the world. Injury Returns The biggest name to return is obviously Devin Williams, who has been sidelined with stress fractures in his back since spring training. He was a popular subject of trade discussions along with Willy Adames and Corbin Burnes. He’ll be a free agent in 2026 and is a remarkable talent, although it remains to be seen how he’ll perform after returning from his injury. If he comes back, it’s assumed that Megill could still be kept around with one of the less important names, like Janson Junk, moved to clear roster space. The only other injured reliever of note is J.B. Bukauskas, who landed on the 60-day IL in April due to a right lat strain. He’s barely pitched in his two years with Milwaukee so far, compiling just 12 total innings of work. While he was productive in those innings with a 0.75 ERA, it’s doubtful that his return will lead to any major shifts in personnel. Young Guns From the Farm The Brewers have some great pitching talent in their minor league system. Robert Gasser has already made his debut with the rotation (although he might be the latest in a long list of injured Milwaukee pitchers). Jacob Misiorowski has been the talk of the town for a while and has been dealing in his first ten starts in Double-A. Carlos F. Rodriguez hasn’t had the same success at Triple-A as in Double-A, but he’ll hopefully figure things out soon. Outside of these three names, who are being groomed to be part of the rotation, it doesn’t seem like other players could potentially be called up to hold things down in relief. Brett Wichrowski is the next closest pitcher to the big leagues and has a 6.27 ERA over his first five starts with the Biloxi Shuckers. Logan Henderson’s highest level of competition has been high-A. Bradley Blalock and Coleman Crow are similarly far away from reaching the highest level of baseball. Will some of these prospects eventually be good enough to claim their roster spots on the major league squad? Of course, but for now, the team is better off working with what they have. Even if the bullpen remains the same, it’s still a strong unit and a big reason why the team is still leading the NL Central. However, as seen in last year’s playoff run, you need every advantage you can get in the sport of baseball. Otherwise, you might be out of the playoffs sooner rather than later. View full article

The Brewers had a great month in May, going 16-12 while posting a +40 run differential. The team’s .754 OPS was the third best in MLB with a few hitters spearheading the offensive efforts. To me, Milwaukee’s lineup has exceeded expectations, especially relative to the rest of the teams in the big leagues. It’s a big reason why they have such a comfortable lead over the Chicago Cubs and are looking like the favorites to win the NL Central for the fourth time in five years. Here are some of the unexpected names swinging hot bats for the team. Honorable Mentions Gary Sánchez 67 PA, .250/.313/.483, 15 H, 2 2B, 4 HR, 10 R, 13 RBI, 5 BB, 20 K, 1 HBP Sánchez hasn’t been able to find a stable home since leaving the Yankees but had a great year in 2023 with the Padres, serving as Blake Snell’s preferred catcher on his way to the NL Cy Young award. Now that we’ve seen Sánchez in action, it’s clear that he’s still a plus-bat with the ability to suit up every once in a while. He’s mostly played as a designated hitter this season and for the most part has been earning his keep. His approach hasn’t changed much in the past few years and he has always been a “swing first, ask questions later” type of hitter which explains his high strikeout rate and poor plate discipline numbers. However, his ability to come up clutch with home runs when needed can’t be understated. William Contreras 125 PA, .301/.368/.469, 34 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 19 R, 21 RBI, 12 BB, 24 K, 2 SB Contreras has been an absolute workhorse, still leading the team in plate appearances, hits, RBI, walks, and rWAR. Furthermore, he’s leading the National League in total runs, no doubt a credit to him as well as the rest of his coworkers. He slowed down a bit after posting a blistering .952 OPS in April/March but still managed to have a big impact for the team. His season OPS+ of 153 is the best it has ever been in his young career although it may be at the cost of some of his defensive abilities. I think it’s safe to say that the Brewers catching tandem is one of the most lethal in the sport. As many are already aware, catchers aren’t typically known for their hitting. For the Brewers to have two of the best offensive catchers in the sport, it seems almost unfair to the other teams struggling to have league-average backstop bats. Did I mention that he’s also clutch? Christian Yelich 88 PA, .321/.398/.474, 25 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 14 R, 16 RBI, 10 BB, 20 K, 6 SB, Yelich got off to a smoking start this season, posting a 1.166 OPS in April/March. Then, he went on the 10-day IL due to a low back strain. It might have been assumed that, like seasons past, he’d once again be held back by his recurring back woes, even after returning to the lineup. Although he didn’t stay quite as hot, Yelich still put up great numbers over a larger sample size in the month of May. Notably, he has been running quite well, stealing six bases and hitting two triples. His season OPS and OPS+ of .971 and 175 are both the highest on the team. He’s still got a ways to go before he has enough plate appearances to qualify but he would have the sixth highest OPS in MLB, right behind Kyle Tucker and ahead of Gunnar Henderson. It might sooner rather than later that we get the old Christian Yelich back. Hitter of the Month - Joey Ortiz 88 PA, .307/.391/.587, 23 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 11 K, 2 HBP, 1 SB Oh boy, Joey Ortiz is so good. If it weren’t for the steep competition of pitchers including Shota Imanaga, Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Jared Jones, he’d have a real good chance of winning NL Rookie of the Year. After a good start, he had a monstrous May, posting a .981 OPS and doing it all. There’s a good reason he was the Orioles’ #8 ranked prospect in 2023, a great placement for one of the talented farm systems in the sport. Matt Trueblood had an incredibly insightful piece about how his uptick in performance could make him an invaluable infield piece for the Brewers over the next several years. A re-engineering of his swing to improve his quality of contact and get more bat speed has done wonders for his power and slugging numbers. His slugging percentage increased by a whopping .181 from April/March to May. Did it hurt to lose Corbin Burnes? Sure, but Ortiz and his outstanding play has helped soften the blow and could even help Milwaukee win the trade in the long run. View full article